You are assigned to a two person volunteer ambulance squad dispatched to assist at a multi vehicle accident in the next town over. In your corner of the world, this is a major MCI.
As you arrive on scene, the local fire squads are cleaning up, all patients had been transported and they didn't know you were coming. As you exchange hellos, one of the pressurized hoses from the extrication equipment ruptures, spraying fluid on roughly 6 persons nearby, including fire and police personnel, even one state trooper.
The firefighter closest to the rupture has fluid in his eyes, the others were struck on the extremeties and protective gear, the trooper in the face, but he was wearing sunglasses which protected his eyes.
You agree most should be cleaned off and examined, the fluid could cause trouble, it was highly pressurized.
They all request transport for evaluation, but there are no ambulances except you available in the area considering the recent event.
A fluid rinse is helping our friend with the most severe trouble, you would take him code 2 if he was alone.
An appropriate hospital is 30 minutes away, the other ambulances are still enroute to the trauma center 45 minutes away.
Do you call for assistance or take them all in your rig?
You make the call.
As you arrive on scene, the local fire squads are cleaning up, all patients had been transported and they didn't know you were coming. As you exchange hellos, one of the pressurized hoses from the extrication equipment ruptures, spraying fluid on roughly 6 persons nearby, including fire and police personnel, even one state trooper.
The firefighter closest to the rupture has fluid in his eyes, the others were struck on the extremeties and protective gear, the trooper in the face, but he was wearing sunglasses which protected his eyes.
You agree most should be cleaned off and examined, the fluid could cause trouble, it was highly pressurized.
They all request transport for evaluation, but there are no ambulances except you available in the area considering the recent event.
A fluid rinse is helping our friend with the most severe trouble, you would take him code 2 if he was alone.
An appropriate hospital is 30 minutes away, the other ambulances are still enroute to the trauma center 45 minutes away.
Do you call for assistance or take them all in your rig?
You make the call.
Comments
Seriously though, I would take them all, if they wanted transport by ambulance. It sounds as though some could go POV or by another means.
However, I know I can handle one priority 2 patient and five walking wounded. At least as long as I have a mod. I don't think we'd all fit in a vanbulance...
That's a Uk thing though.
But if you have to choose the most serious.. i agree with the ones with the water in the eyes/face to be the more serious
My explanation to the "powers that be" would be this: It's a back-to-back MCI with depleted resources and taking them all is best for patient care. What?? the billing office is going to be mad?
Extraordinary situations call for extraordinary solutions.
(sorry if I misspelled something, had a night and then a morning off and my MGD fridge was calling)